Countdown: 6 days until Ghana!

  Thanks for taking a look at my Study Abroad blog! For the next 4 months I will be living, studying and working in the southern coast of Ghana. I will be taking classes at the University of Ghana in Legon, which is right outside of the capital, Accra. While in Ghana I will be living with a host family, taking classes at the University of Ghana and interning at a health-oriented organization.

   First off, a little introduction on how I got here. My name is Emma Craig and I am in my junior year at Clark University in Worcester, MA. I am majoring in International Development & Social Change with a minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. While I am on campus I participate in a bunch of different activities, from activism and volunteering to performing arts. My most active involvements are STAND, a national genocide-prevention coalition, and Variant Dance Troupe, one of a handful of dance groups on campus. I love ClarkU, and although I am beyond excited for Ghana, I am going to miss my friends and community at Clark.
   Last summer I worked at Primeros Pasos, a non-profit health clinic outside of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. At Primeros Pasos I was a volunteer teaching basic health and social-health to children in the surrounding public schools. It was out of this experience that I found my passion for public health, which I plan to pursue through a degree as a Nurse Practitioner. Until then, I am trying to get as much experience as I can through internships, both abroad and in Worcester. I am hoping that my internship in Ghana will give me some good insight into public health in a different cultural, political and economic context from that I experienced in Guatemala.

  With only 6 days until my departure, I figure I should be freaking out and getting cold feet, which is how I felt before leaving for Guatemala. However I am surprisingly calm. I have been attributing my tranquility to experience. For my trip to Guatemala I did almost all of the planning and researching, from my internship, to my home stay and Spanish school. I was also traveling alone, which can be terrifying. But this time the program I am on, CIEE, does everything - all I have to do is get on and off the plane! Perhaps knowing that has eased my initial worries. However, don't be surprised if my panic sets in on my ride to the airport. But I'll let you know how that goes next time I post!
   Thank you again for showing interest in my blog. I promise to do my best to inform and entertain you as I lead you along on my adventures. If you would like to see the Study Abroad blogs of my fellow Clark travelers, feel free to check out ClarkU Study Abroad Bloggers!
- Emma